Description: In this lesson, students watch a video introducing the media literacy key concept that media have commercial implications. They then watch an ad for jeans which conceals its commercial nature, and discuss its purpose before and after being aware of its purpose. In an optional final task, students analyze an educational kids’ website created by the US National Dairy Council and identify the ways in which its different elements educate, entertain, persuade and advertise to youth.

Cross-curricular Competencies

Broad Areas of Learning

To exercise critical judgement

To use information and communication technologies (ICT)

To communicate appropriately

Media Literacy

Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

This lesson satisfies the following Competencies from the Quebec Education Program:

English Language Arts

To Read and Listen to Literary, Popular and Information-Based Texts

To use a response process when reading and listening to literary, popular, and information-based texts

To construct her/his own view of the world through reading and listening to literary, popular and information-based texts

To construct a profile of self as reader

To self-evaluate her/his reading development

To construct meaning by applying appropriate reading strategies

To Write Self-expressive, Narrative and Information-based Texts

To integrate her/his knowledge of texts into own writing

To self-evaluate her/his writing development

To follow a process when writing

To construct profile of self as writer

To use writing as a system for communicating and constructing meaning

To Represent Her/His Literacy in Different Media

To apply appropriate strategies for constructing meaning

To self-evaluate her/his development as a viewer and producer of media texts

To follow a process to respond to media texts

To construct her/his own view of the world through the media

To follow a production process in order to communicate for specific purposes to a specified audience

To Use Language to Communicate and Learn

To use language (talk) to communicate information, experiences and point of view